


Iwatobi Fitness Club

by L_Monster



Category: Free!
Genre: Boxing, Fitness club AU, Gou is FAT, Haru forced to teach aerobics, M/M, Makoto is a Sweetheart, Nagisa and Rei get it on in public places oh snap, Pilates, Rin annoys Haru, Swimming, They're all trainers, Will get dirty in later chapters, You've been warned, long fic, looking for beta, spinning, weightlifting, zumba
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-19 22:03:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1485670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_Monster/pseuds/L_Monster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Summary edited) </p><p>Fitness Club AU, they're all trainers. Haru hates Rin, at first. Slow build, eventual smut. <br/>Artwork posted, hopefully I'll add one per chapter!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first AU, so I'm a bit shhhhhhnervous about it. Inspired by my own weightloss journey and all the wonderful people I've met at the gym. 
> 
> I'm no fitness expert so please forgive the inaccuracies you might find! Anyway, this is sort of like a pilot chapter, see if you guys like it and if there's someone out there who'd want to read a bit more, then I'd be more than happy to post the rest here. I'm relatively new to AO3, usually I post directly on ff.net so if I choose not to post the whole work here you'll probably find it over there! 
> 
> Hum, enjoy! Enjoy? I'm not sorry, can't believe this hasn't been done before? (Point me in the right direction if it has!)

 

In the end, there really was _nothing_ else he could have done with his life. 

 

The day Haruka Nanase graduated high school was the happiest day of his life. He remembered standing by the school swimming pool, throwing away his tie and simply smiling at his reflection in the water. _Life was going to be wonderful after this_ , he thought to himself. He would go to fitness school alongside his two best friends and learn about his own body in ways he only ever dreamed of. He would become a fitness expert and spend the rest of his life in constant movement. That was the dream. He would be able to make a living by running, stretching, growing stronger and swimming, what else could he have asked for? 

 

The first few months at university had been wonderful. Sharing a dorm with Makoto had suited him just fine, after all, they had been friends since forever and no one understood him better. Nagisa had introduced them to his roommate shortly after, a tall, bespectacled freshman by the name of Rei pursuing a diploma in nutrition. They had become inseparable by the end of their first semester, sharing dreams of starting their own fitness club (with a spa, as demanded by Rei) and they would live happily ever after. Yes, that was definitely the dream. Those were the happiest years of his life. 

 

But as those years went by, he realised their dreams really were nothing more than dreams. For starters, they were all broke by the time they graduated, and the fact that they were fresh out of school didn't make it any easier for them to find jobs in the city. It was Nagisa who provided the only solution to their problems, as one of his uncles owned a fitness club in a small provincial town in the south. 

 

And that's how they all ended up working seven days a week as personal trainers at Iwatobi Fitness Club. 

 

Here's the thing - it wasn't a bad gig at all. Sure, working hours were a bitch. They opened at 7 but only one of them was expected to arrive at that time to help with prepping the swimming pool, so they took it in turns while the rest arrived at 9. Then they all had basic duties to fulfil. Twenty-five hours a week of floor supervising, which was a lot. Personal training sessions were one hour each, they were in charge of designing a one-on-one training program for their clients and if they managed to sell more than 10 private sessions to a member, of if they had more than 3 sessions per day, then their floor supervising hours would be reduced to 15 weekly for as long as the sessions lasted. Of course none of them had ever managed as much. Floor supervising hours would accumulate and they would have to make up for them during their day off in order to fill their quota. They got an hour off at lunch and another at dinner, then the club would finally close down at 9. 

 

Rei usually handled the morning yoga and spinning classes while Nagisa took over the dance lessons at night. Makoto was in charge of the boxing ring and usually supervised the weightlifting section as long as he wasn't training a member, in which case Haruka would take over. Haru generally supervised the swimming pool during peak hours, which was easily the most appealing aspect of his job to him. Unfortunately, that did not count as floor supervising, which meant he still had to spend at least 3 hours a day by the machines, and he'd still need to make up for the missing hours during his days off. And after the club closed down, they were all allowed to remain there for as long as they wanted and train to their heart's content. 

 

Which had initially suited them well enough, but after the first 2 months they realised they were all too tired by the end of the day to do some extra training of their own. All except Haruka who would usually go back to the swimming pool and soak there until midnight. 

 

During their first few months at Iwatobi they had all crashed at Nagisa's uncle's place - a tiny two bedroom apartment with an even tinier bathroom, which evidently, suited none. Once again, Nagisa was the one to provide a solution to their problems, convincing his grandmother (with help of his uncle) to let him use the old house by the hill where she had grown up in, and now served as a giant warehouse to keep years of accumulated junk from all her children. They held a garage sale and cleaned the place they now called home, it was a tiny two bedroom house on top of a hill and it smelled like mildew, but they didn't have to pay rent and, as months went by, it started looking more like home than their dorms at the university ever did. And Haruka loved it more than he let the others know. 

 

The money wasn't bad either, they all had a basic salary and commissions from every private training session they managed to sell. Sure, they were clearly understaffed and they would sometimes find themselves doing more office hours than they initially expected - once they even had to take over cleaning duties for over a week when the janitor had his tonsils removed - but the general atmosphere, Haruka thought, was fantastic, clean and relatively quiet, he air smelled of disinfectant and deodorant and the people were friendly yet focused in their own business. It really was the only thing he ever pictured himself doing in his adult life. 

 

Until the day _he_ arrived. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Haru, are you even listening to me?" Makoto said Monday morning as they walked to the club. 

 

In all honesty, Haru hadn't been listening at all. He had been worried about Kojima-san's bad ankle for the past few weeks, hoping the new routine he had designed for her would help her with her weight loss without putting too much strain on her ankle. 

 

"Hm?" 

 

Makoto laughed heartily as he gently patted his friend on the back. "She'll be fine," he added as he adjusted his sunglasses. "I was just saying Sasabe's all worried about the new guy, wants us to make sure he's extra comfortable, apparently he's transferred all the way from Australia. He's Japanese though, so no worries about the language." 

 

"Oh," Haru said blankly. 

 

"Yeah," Makoto continued, "I heard he's really sought-after, can't imagine what brought him to Iwatobi but Sasabe was shy of doing backflips when he hired him. We really could use another hand at the club don't you think? Haru?" 

 

Haruka had stopped as a particularly large cloud cleared away from the sun and the ocean caught its light. Makoto sighed and smiled as he put a hand over his friend's shoulder, gently directing him towards the club entrance. 

 

"It'll be warm enough to swim in no time." 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"My name is Rin Matsuoka, it's nice to meet you all." 

 

They had called the entire staff to a meeting early Monday morning in order to introduce the new personal trainer, the aforementioned Rin Matsuoka, who politely bowed before them. Haruka could feel Nagisa's entire body positively shaking with enthusiasm to his right, and hear Rei's concerned tongue-clicking to his left. He took one glance at the man before him and he could not understand, for the life of him, what was so special about him. He had longish red hair tied back in a sloppy ponytail, he was wearing a black tracksuit with red stripes and his posture was definitely too lax for a fitness trainer. Sparing not another thought on his new colleague, he turned his gaze towards the window hoping to catch a glimpse of the ocean. 

 

"It's nice meeting you, Matsuoka-san-" Makoto was the first to speak. 

 

"Please, call me Rin," the redheaded interrupted with a wave of his hand. 

 

"Oh, alright, Rin. I'm Makoto Tachibana, please call me Makoto. These guys are Nagisa Hazuki, Haruka Nanase and Rei Ryugazaki, we are the four full time employed trainers at the club." They all bowed as their names were mentioned and Rin acknowledged each with a nod. 

 

"Over here we have Yunemura-san and Miyasaka-san, they are in charge of the front desk," he said as he motioned to two young guys wearing suits. "And well, you know coach Sasabe of course, our manager." 

 

"It's great having you here, my boy!" Sasabe took a step forwards and clapped a heavy hand over Rin's back who let out a bark-like laugh as he scratched the back of his head. 

 

"It's cool, thanks for having me," he said in the most unaffected tone Haruka had ever heard, and he found it extremely annoying. 

 

It took about two more seconds of relative calm before Nagisa outright squealed and launched himself forwards, positively trapping Rin in a tight hug around the waist before lifting him three feet off the ground with his hidden bear-like strength.

 

"Rin-chan!" he beamed, "I'm Nagisa, I do boot camp, zumba and aerobics! What do you do?" 

 

"Nagisa-kun," Rei said quietly, "please don't scare him off just yet, we're severely understaffed at the moment." 

 

Rin laughed heartily as he put an arm around Nagisa's shoulder, rubbing his knuckles over his blonde locks. "Feisty one, I see," he replied. "I do weightlifting, endurance, judo, boxing, cross fit, and swimming," he added as he counted them off with his fingers. "And you should see me dancing," he said with a wink. 

 

Nagisa's delighted laughter rang throughout the entire club as he jumped up and down. "Amazing!" 

 

_Annoying,_ thought Haruka. 

 

"Rin here has got two years' experience working at Gold's Gym in Sydney, but he's been in Iwatobi for a few months already," said a beaming Sasabe. "And not only has he decided to join our team, which we are completely thrilled about, but he's also sold memberships to some of his regulars here at Iwatobi, which I'm even more thrilled about!" he said as he let out a loud chuckle. "You bunch of misfits should do well by learning a thing or two from this young man right here!" 

 

Haruka's eyebrow twitched but nobody seemed to notice. He turned his head towards the redhead, admittedly catching everyone's attention and he bowed curtly. 

 

"Excuse me," he said as he walked away. 

 

Rin seemed to be the only one caught off guard by Haruka's behaviour, raising both eyebrows and crossing his arms over his chest, chuckling incredulously. 

 

"That's Haru," said Makoto, as if that explained the whole thing. "Let's go downstairs to introduce you to the cleaning staff." 

 

"Right." 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kojima-san arrived at 10 am. She had been swimming with Haruka for the past six months right after her ankle surgery, and she had made an impressive recovery. It had only been a couple of weeks since he decided to change up her routine, adding a bit of walking and strength exercises, which initially had worked like magic, until the pain came back, so now she was a bit skeptic about working out with weights, wishing she'd just be able to return to the pool. Truth be told, Haruka wasn't particularly fond of coaching Kojima-san in the swimming pool, he was never really good at it, losing patience quickly and wanting to be done with it all just so he could have some time alone to soak on his own. However, being a professional, he managed. 

 

"I just don't understand why we can't just go swimming," she'd said that same morning as they walked upstairs to the cardio area. 

 

"We need to strengthen your ankle, even if it's little by little," answered Haruka politely. "We are going to try something different today, don't worry. I won't have you running marathons just yet," he added pleasantly. 

 

Kojima-san laughed heartily as she leaned onto Haruka's arm while walking up the last few steps. 

 

"Just don't tell my son, he's been most insistent I return to the pool. Frankly, what I really want is for the weather to be warm enough for a picnic at the beach, with lots of ice-cream," she said childishly, making Haruka smile in spite of himself. 

 

"Then Rei will have my head," he replied, thinking of the gluten-free diet Rei had prescribed. 

 

"Oh, that man," she chuckled. "At my age, you need to enjoy the little things as much as you can." Haruka nodded pointedly, silently letting her know he agreed. 

 

"And you, my dear, when are you going to find yourself a nice girl and enjoy those little things?" she asked mischievously as she patted his arm. "I've told you about my niece Harue, haven't I? Lovely young girl, just started a new job in advertising. You two would make a sweet couple." 

 

Haruka blew air out his nose in amusement. She _had_ mentioned her at least a dozen times before, and just as if she had been speaking a different language, he nodded and politely replied with a curt nod. 

 

"Oh, boys these days," she added dismissively. 

 

As they reached the second floor landing they were met with Nagisa's raucous laughter and a sight Haruka had only seen a few times in his life. A young guy with impossibly silver hair, probably around 18 or 19 years old, was planking on 6 inch steppers - fingers and toes grabbing onto the steppers as if his life depended on it, which probably did, since he also had to balance a whole Rin Matsuoka on his back. 

 

"Ten seconds, Nitori! Anyone can do anything for ten goddamn seconds!" yelled the redhead as he balanced himself over his student's back, knees and palms digging into the kid underneath. Nitori let out a raw scream, digging strength from somewhere deep within. 

 

"Do NOT bend your knees!" Rin yelled, "Your knees belong to me and you are not allowed to bend them! Think! Think Nitori! Do you want to be WEAK? Do you? Well, _do you_?!" 

 

Haru heard a feeble 'no' coming from the kid but then again, he wasn't sure if he heard him or he just assumed it by the way the kid scrunched up his face and mouthed something that looked like 'no.' 

 

"Oh my," Kojima-san interjected, covering her mouth with her free hand. 

 

"Five! Four! Th- NO! Do NOT bend your knees!" yelled the redhead, as the silver haired teen tumbled over and his knees hit the floor. Rin's hands and feet were on the ground before Nitori's entire body collapsed over the mat, effectively avoiding hurting the teen with his added weight, but as he stood up and hovered over the kid, he looked absolutely livid. 

 

"Get up," he commanded, ignoring Nagisa's laughter-turned-gasp and Nitori's slight whimpering. "Get up, you weakling." 

 

As the kid got on his feet, Rin started walking a slow circle around him, eyeing him as if he were looking at rotten fish. Haruka's eyebrow twitched and he felt a sudden rush of anger wash over him, an overwhelming wave of adrenaline that screamed 'protect' and resounded all over his brain. _Unnecessary,_ his mind screamed. _Cruel._

 

Nitori was beginning to catch his breath and to everyone's surprise, met Rin's eyes the moment he stood before him, holding his gaze as if he were defying him, his chest heaving with something that had nothing to do with physical exhaustion. 

 

"You're angry," said Rin, it wasn't a question. "You're not tired. You're angry. You're disappointed," his tone cold. "You know you're weak. I know you're weak. Now _they_ know you're weak," he added as he gestured around to Nagisa, Haruka and Kojima-san. Nitori closed his eyes and bit his lower lip. Haruka's blood ran colder by the second until a firm hold around his arm forced him to open his eyes he didn't realise he'd closed. Kojima-san patted him reassuringly on the arm, meeting his eyes with a _look._

 

"Feel it, feel that anger. Take it in you. Push it into your veins. _Concentrate,"_ he added, almost like a whisper. "That burn, that heat, take it. Pump it into your weak body and feel the strength fill you up until you _can't take it,_ then get back in plank position and show me what you can do!" he finished by yelling at the top of his voice, getting the attention of everyone at the gym who hadn't been paying attention. "You owe me five seconds of raw strength!" and Haruka thought that last screech was positively the most annoying thing he'd heard his entire life, making a mental note that apparently, his new colleague sucked at math. 

 

Another pat on his arm got him out of his reverie as Kojima-san pulled him away towards the stretching area. 

 

"I think my time started a good two minutes ago, Haru-chan," she said pleasantly. Haruka took a second to regain his mind and nodded, and even though he knew Kojima-san didn't need the support of his arm anymore, they both knew he did. 

 

"That's right! Until you bleed!" Rin's screams faded into the background, mixed with the sounds of weights, treadmills and Haruka's own will to block him out as he walked Kojima-san to the mat-padded area on the other side of the floor. 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Haruka had spent a good three days planning Kojima-san's session for the day. He had spent a whole day working out the perfect way to strengthen her muscles with only a couple of dumbbells and a stepper, then spent two more days slaying over which stretching exercises would optimise her routine and prep her for her cardio without putting too much stress anywhere below her waist. She was his most loyal and oldest client, and admittedly, he had taken a liking to her, reminded him of his late grandmother. He even had a nightmare last tuesday about the routine going wrong, Kojima-san's son mourning over his mother's corpse, squashed under a giant massage roller - _I told you she should have gone back to the swimming pool -_ he screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. He'd calculated every single detail as he rode away his concerns the following morning, making sure that nothing, _nothing,_ would go wrong. 

 

And yet, as he coached Kojima-san through a series of particularly stressing stretching exercises, he cursed himself for not taking into consideration external factors. 

 

"Get your boney ass back on the treadmill and do NOT grip the handles!" Matsuoka's voice rang throughout the walls. 

 

"Are you _fucking_ with me, or is _that_ supposed to be a jab?" 

 

"Your sister called, she wants her lipstick back, oh, is that blood? I'm sorry, I couldn't tell over all the _whining!"_

 

By the time Kojima-san's time was up, Haruka was sweating profusely and his hands balled into fists instinctively with every passing minute. He hadn't been completely focused on his client and _that_ was unacceptable in all standards. Grudgingly, he flipped open his binder and handed a pen to Kojima-san for her to sign her name, _25 sessions done, 5 more to go._

 

The entire floor had gone pleasantly quiet as apparently, Rin's own session with his client had started only a few minutes before Haru's, and was now finished. He'd spotted them sprawled over the stretching mats just a few minutes after Kojima-san had waved him goodbye. 

 

_"Makoto,"_ he unconsciously screened the floor for his best friend, hoping to find him by the boxing ring and just feed off his soothing energy. There he was, in the midst of a session - they must have gone overtime - with a new member eager to train. He turned on his heels hoping to see Rei, or at least Nagisa, on their posts by the cardio machines, maybe they had already started their floor supervising hours, but no luck. Nobody around to offer any sort of distraction whatsoever from the pressing matter of Bullying Matsuoka roaming around his turf and disrupting his peace of mind. Nothing, but the office. 

 

Haru stifled a groan as he cracked his neck and headed towards the cramped little office, readying himself to spend the next hour or so in front of a computer screen and filling up about a ton of files he had put off working on. 

 

As he reached the office, he unlocked his personal drawer, hand hovering over a bottle of Aspirine before changing his mind and grabbing a packet of mints that he always kept for specially tiring sessions since they tended to remind him of chewing ice. Somehow that worked on him just as well without making him feel sluggish. 

 

"Yo," a not-entirely unfamiliar voice called from the doorway. 

 

Haruka spared him a second's glance before decidedly looking away and typing his password on the keyboard as he munched on his gum, hoping the intruder would just take the hint. 

 

But no luck. 

 

Rin Matsuoka positively strutted into the office as if he had been a guest of honour at an award ceremony, taking a seat on the Pilates ball that had been mysteriously placed in the office (Nagisa's doing, Haru was sure) and rolling his back until he was completely arched over it. 

 

"You're Haru, right?" 

 

Silence. _You're annoying._

 

"You don't talk much, do you?" 

 

Typing. _You're talking again._

 

"S'okay if you're shy and all but I don't bite, you know?" 

 

Typing, insistently. _Annoying. You don't exist._

 

"Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof," Rin said tentatively. 

 

Haru rolled his eyes and sighed in despair, hoping Makoto would just miraculously walk into the office. 

 

Rin rolled back into a sitting position and took a deep breath, raising a finger over his face. 

 

"You know, you-"

 

"Matsuoka-senpai," the completely unfamiliar voice caught Haruka off guard, forcing his gaze towards the doorway where a freshly showered Nitori stood, one hand behind his back and the other scratching the back of his head sheepishly. 

 

"Nitori," Rin got on his feet like a spring. 

 

At that moment, Haruka took a deep breath, readying himself to take the kid's side at a second's notice and finally put this condescending bastard in his place, when suddenly the kid took a deep bow before his new colleague, cheeks flushed and hands fisted into tiny little balls. 

 

"Thank you," he said as steadily as he could muster, although his entire frame was slightly shaking, and Haru couldn't blame him, if his workout had been as hard as he had heard. "For everything." 

 

Taking him entirely by surprise, Haru recoiled momentarily before reminding himself he wasn't supposed to be a part of this conversation, and turned his head back to the computer screen. 

 

Laugher. Good willed, honest laughter rang throughout the office as Rin took a few steps towards the doorway and clapped a hand over Nitori's back. 

 

"You," said Rin "are a monster, and one day you will give your family a run for their money. And kick my ass on the way." 

 

Nitori giggled sheepishly, massaging his sore shoulders. 

 

"See you next week, Matsuoka-senpai. Congratulations on the new job!" he beamed as he waved a hand and walked away. 

 

Rin waved back for a good five seconds, sighing audibly once Nitori was out of sight and turning on his heels to face a seemingly uninterested Haruka, who was typing a bit too loudly for his own liking. 

 

"That's Nitori," he explained unnecessarily. 

 

"Oh," replied Haruka nonchalantly. 

 

"Yeah," Rin said as he stretched his arms over his head, sitting back down on the Pilates ball. "He's a fury, isn't he?" 

 

Haruka ignored the question as he began typing in his floor supervising hours of the past month. 

 

"You really don't talk much, do you?" he asked as he stifled a chuckle. 

 

"No," Haru replied acidly. 

 

"Touchy," Rin said in a sing-song voice. "I don't' mind. The less you talk, the more you listen." 

 

Haru gritted his teeth, hoping he had gone for the Aspirin instead of the mint. 

 

"Tell you what," said Rin as he stood up for the second time. "Let's go for a swim after we close down. I heard you're a mean swimmer. We'll race, if you win, I promise I'll stop bugging you on purpose for an entire week, and in the off-chance that I lose, you'll… um, you'll tell me your favourite ice-cream flavour, how's that?" 

 

He'd had enough. Twice he had typed in the wrong numbers as he listened to Matsuoka rambling on about god-knows-what and never had he, except a few nights of drunken experimentation on campus, wished Makoto had been there from the beginning. Haruka wheeled the chair around to face his new colleague and looked him straight in the eye. 

 

"I only swim free," he deadpanned. 

 

Rin didn't even flinch, instead he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, a gesture Haruka had witnessed already twice on the same day. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

 

Haruka took a deep breath and was about to go out of his way and answer his question when a worked-up Miyasaka-san from the front desk hurriedly knocked on the door as he regained his breath. _Seriously,_ Haru thought, _the front desk is downstairs._

 

"Nanase-san," he hesitated as he looked at Rin, evidently trying to remember his name "I'm sorry, Matsuoka-san, yes? We have a potential new member downstairs, she's asking about the facilities and wants to take a look at the gym," he paused, "I think." 

 

Haruka stood up from his chair and took two steps forward. 

 

"What do you mean 'you think'?" he asked. 

 

"Well, she…" he hesitated for a second, face growing paler by the second, "she doesn't speak much Japanese. I can't speak English and I've got Yunemura stalling her while, well, Ryugazaki speaks decent English doesn't he?" he asked almost frantically. 

 

_Shit._ Haruka wasn't exactly a talkative person, but he damn well knew how to sell a membership to a new customer. As long as it was in Japanese. He hadn't exactly thrived in his English lessons in the past, neither had Makoto or Nagisa, Rei fortunately had managed to coach them enough to pass their final examinations, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

 

"I'll handle it," Rin suddenly spoke from the side, hands in his pockets and as comfortable as if he had been deciding which movie to watch on his day off. 

 

"M-Matsuoka-san, you speak English?" asked Miyasaka incredulously, making Rin roll his eyes. 

 

_"Dude,"_   Rin replied, emphasising the first syllable, waving his arms around as if it was the most evident thing in the world. 

 

"Oh- oh, right! Australia… yes, yes! That'll do, please come with me," Miyasaka replied, relief evidently washing over his features and completely forgetting that Haruka was also in the room. They walked away leaving a dumbfounded and obviously disturbed Haru standing in the middle of the office, the computer beeping unpleasantly as an 'incorrect password' sign flashed over the screen. 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"He's not _that_ bad, Haru-chan," Makoto's laughter rang like cool rain on a hot summer day as they walked back home after an exhausting day at work. 

 

Haru gave him a look before pointedly turning his gaze back towards the ocean. 

 

"He's annoying," he added for good measure. 

 

Makoto's laugher died after a few seconds and then took a deep breath, sighing contentedly. 

 

"He sold ten sessions today," he almost whispered, his tone bordering in admiration. "Sasabe said he's buying him champagne for dinner." 

 

"He speaks English," Haru said dismissively. 

 

"So does Rei, and he's never managed as much." 

 

Silence reigned for a few minutes as they reached the road that led to the hilltop where their little house was located. 

 

"I'm just saying, don't make him out to be as bad as he seems. Sure, he's loud and a little bit cocky, but he's got a stack of recommendation letters that would even make you gasp and alright, his methods are a bit _foreign_ but well, let's see how it all unfurls, it's only his first day." 

 

Haruka sighed, stepping up his pace and hoping Nagisa didn't make a mess in the bathroom. A long bath was exactly what he needed. 

 

"Rei's closing today," Haruka asked without actually having to ask the question. 

 

"Yup, he's showing Rin how to do it for next time," Makoto replied. 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Ready to go?" asked Rei as he adjusted the strap on his backpack. 

 

Rin stood by the already covered swimming pool, gazing at the surface as if he was expecting something to break the plastic bubble wrap surface. He sighed inaudibly and turned around, smiling broadly. 

 

"Yeah." 

 


	2. Of course, but maybe...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I'm going to continue, yay! I'd like to thank everyone who took their time to review my pilot chapter, it was really encouraging and damn, love you guys. 
> 
> I feel like I have to clarify that even though the story is completely done in my head, it might still take some time to get the chapters done, so I'm not promising regular updates here. We're looking at maybe two or three chapters a month. 
> 
> Also, please forgive any mistakes on this chapter, I just felt so bad about not updating in two weeks so ugh, I'm blaming shizuumi151 for being too sweet and making me want to put up a chapter asap. I'll hopefully get someone to beta the third chapter *wink* catastrophecutie *wink* reeeeal soon. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> BTW, "Of course, but maybe" shamelessly snatched from Louis CK's 'Oh my God' stand up show. Check him out he's hilarious!

"I'm not going," came Haruka's muffled voice from under his pillow. Makoto stood up hovering above him, a steaming cup of coffee on his right hand. He stifled a sigh but couldn't stop himself from chuckling. 

 

"Honestly, Haru," he began, "you know how much coach Sasabe hates it when we're late." 

 

"I'm sick," the dark haired trainer replied curtly, not moving a muscle. 

 

Taking a seat on the floor by his friend's futon, Makoto set the cup down and began rocking himself back and forth playfully. 

 

"Is this because of Rin?" 

 

No response. 

 

"Is this because of Rin being loud?" 

 

Still no response. 

 

"Is this because of Rin being loud and over the top and the fact that everyone likes him and that he seems to have made it his life's sole purpose to make you swim with him?" 

 

Haru's eyebrow twitched even though Makoto couldn't see it. 

 

Rin's first week at Iwatobi Fitness Club brought about several changes to the table. For starters, after only two days, he redhead had managed to establish himself as some sort of team leader, reorganising class schedules and giving little motivational speeches to the staff every morning. Suddenly their schedules seemed not as clustered as before, earning the trainers an extra free hour that they would have otherwise spent running up and down during peak hours. Haruka decided to attribute it to the fact that they had an extra pair of hands helping out, as opposed to praising Rin's organisational skills. 

 

On his third day Rin contacted a small vegan cafe that had just opened a few weeks prior and managed to secure the entire staff a healthy supply of gluten-free snacks for an entire week in exchange for letting them give out a few flyers outside the facilities. Sasabe had been hesitant at first but all his doubts dissipated the second he tried their oatmeal cookies. Haruka decided sweet treats weren't his cup of tea no matter how many arguments Rei did on their behalf. 

 

On his fourth and fifth day Rin took it upon himself to give maintenance to the almost completely abandoned tennis court on the roof, claiming that with the good weather approaching, there were bound to be lots of people looking to renting the space or even buying a few tennis classes. He didn't miss a single appointment with his own clients and he filled his quota of floor supervising hours without a single problem. After two days, the tennis court was as good as new and Haruka decided tennis was stupid. 

 

On his sixth day Rin's new foreign client arrived for her first training session and it was all Haru could do not to jump out the window in frustration as he had to suffer an entire hour of English spoken at the top of their voices, as well as the rest of the staff praising his language skills for the rest of the day. It didn't help that Rei had asked him for a little help with his own English and Rin decided it would be a great idea and incredibly beneficial for the club if they all got together an hour a week for a little tutoring. 

 

But all of that, Haru could handle. All he had to do was look the other way whenever they crossed paths and politely refuse to participate in any group activity. 

 

Except just like Makoto blatantly pointed out, Rin wouldn't let him. 

 

_"The cookies are great, but if you swim with me I'll buy you lunch for a month!"_

 

_"Tennis is nothing compared to swimming, right Nanase? Yo, Nanase, I'm talking to you. Earth to Nanase. Hey, can I call you Haru, Haru?"_

 

_"Ugh, I'm so tired I could just fall asleep standing up. I think a hot bath is in order. Or maybe… Anybody up for a swim? Haru?"_

 

 _"Of course surfing doesn't come naturally to just everybody, its not like swimming, right? Even new born babies can swim, how old were you when you started swimming Haru? Me I was_ born _in the water, can you believe that?"_

 

A violent shiver ran down Haru's spine as he recollected Rin's attempts at engaging him in conversation, trying to coax him into swimming with him. He had been wondering throughout the entire week what was the exact reason this new guy was bothering him so much. Of course, Haruka was never an exceedingly sociable person, but he damn well knew how to behave himself around strangers, it was his job to sell himself as a professional trainer and despite all his social shortcomings, he had been doing a pretty good job up until then. He had dealt with bullies and assholes in the past, he knew how to look the other way. He wasn't a stranger to different ways of encouraging someone, including the more _outgoing_ ways such as screaming like a lunatic and waving your arms about like an insane person. He knew how to keep his cool no matter what. Why was it so hard to do now? If he knew the answer to that, he refused to voice it out loud. 

 

Haruka turned over on his back, catching a glimpse of Makoto's knowing eyes studying his features before dramatically draping an arm over his face. 

 

"Maybe I've been too indulgent with you in the past," Makoto's voice broke the silence, seemingly talking to himself but making Haru grimace nonetheless. "Remember how I pretended to be your boyfriend just so Akiko-chan would stop hitting on you back in high school?" he added, making Haru snort in spite of himself. 

 

" _That,_ served two purposes and you know it," Haru responded immediately, reminding his friend that it also kept Bertha, the exchange student, from filling his locker room with love letters written in bad Japanese. 

 

"How I took over your cleaning duties back in school just so you could have some extra time to swim?" Makoto insisted. 

 

"Too bothersome," Haru mumbled in return.

 

"How I've been doing all the Christmas shopping for both our families and friends and still write your name on all the cards?" 

 

"I pay for half of everything." 

 

Makoto sighed as he scratched the back of his head. 

 

"The point is, I don't think I've been doing you any good you know? You've learned to rely on me no matter what and _of course_ you can rely on me no matter what, but I'm starting to think this has made you a bit…" he hesitated for a moment, catching Haru's eye. "Selfish." 

 

Haruka sat up as calmly as humanly possible although he could feel his heart racing. He turned to face his friend, crossing his legs and snatching up the cup of coffee in the most nonchalant way he could muster. 

 

"How so?" he questioned, thankful he could keep the steadiness in his voice. 

 

"Well, you know we really like the guy, don't you?" Makoto asked cautiously, as if he had said a really bad word. Haruka nodded as he sipped on his coffee. 

 

"And I also know he's found an unprecedented way to annoy you, right?" 

 

"Right." 

 

"And this has sort of made everyone feel like they have to limit their excitement out of some weird feeling of solidarity to you, at least when you're present." Makoto suddenly raised his palms defensively as his friend took a deep breath to retaliate. "I'm not saying you asked us to or anything," he cut in before Haru had a chance to speak. "It's just, well honestly Haru, the guy's obviously trying _really_ ****hard to get to know you a little bit and you're clearly not giving him a chance, it's sad. And it's really bumming everyone out."

 

Haru's eyes widened at that last statement, instinctively clutching onto his futon. They remained silent for a few seconds during which Haru apparently forgot how to breathe. 

 

"… I'm sorry," the dark haired trainer whispered in turn, catching his friend's eye for a second before looking back down at the mug before him. "I just don't know why he bothers me so much," he added as an afterthought. After a long pause Haruka ventured another look at his friend as he took another sip of coffee, wondering why he hadn't yet received an answer. He was meet with an eerie smile that spoke volumes. 

 

"Remember coach Sato?" the green eyed asked mischievously, making Haru choke on his drink and spill coffee all over himself. His face had lit up like a christmas tree within two seconds and he seriously considered plopping back down on his futon and hiding under his pillow for the rest of his life. 

 

"W-Why are you bringing _him_ up?" he asked breathlessly, but all he got was a wink in return.

 

"Think about it," he said as he stood up. "We're leaving in 10 minutes, no time to take a bath I'm afraid. We'll catch breakfast on the way," he said as he practically strutted out of the room.  

 

Coach Sato had been their junior high school swimming coach and the only person who had ever made Haruka blush, partly because of admiration and partly because, well. It wasn't like he had come out of the closet at age 15, it was more like he had become aware of the fact that he wasn't any more interested in women than he was in men. 

 

So was that it, then? Did Makoto just imply that maybe the reason why he found it intolerably hard to be around Rin was because he was _attracted_ to him? 

 

Was there _anything_ remotely attractive about him? 

 

 **Yes,** his traitor of a brain replied instantly. A full body image of his new co-worker appeared in the back of his mind and he took a few seconds to eye him down. _Tall, toned, tanned-_ his subconscious began taking notes as his mind's eye scanned him from head to foot. _Handsome._

 

"Ugh," he grunted as he fumbled for his phone. 

 

 _'I_ hate _you'_ read the message he texted his best friend. 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They made it to the club barely on time because of Haru's insistence on making some toast before leaving. During their jog down the hill towards the club Haru had made some serious decisions regarding his problem at hand, running so fast that Makoto had actual problems keeping up. 

 

 As they arrived, breathless from their sprint and holding their toast between their teeth, they quickly waved hello to Yunemura at the front desk before rushing to the office to punch in their time cards. 

 

"Remind me never to upset you again before work," Makoto wheezed as he took a seat on the pilates ball in the office. 

 

"You need to go prep the spinning room," Haruka pointed out calmly while pointing a finger at the white board Rin had scribbled all over. Makoto turned instinctively and slapped a hand over his eyes, sighing loudly before running out of the room. 

 

Haru smiled victoriously as he unlocked his personal drawer. 

 

 _Only one way to find out,_ he told himself. 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was something he had heard Rei talk about once on their first semester at University during a random frat party they had crashed, and for some reason, it had stuck in Haruka's memory despite how wasted he had gotten that night. He had also not been able to stop thinking about it since early that morning. Some girl, Haru couldn't remember her name, had made a point about Rei being way too uptight, evidently trying to coax him into drinking with her while being, perhaps unconsciously, extremely rude to Nagisa, who had been awkwardly sitting next to Rei as she continued to chat him up. It appeared she had been the only person at that party unaware of Rei's homosexuality and the fact that he had asked Nagisa out on their first date that day, but the bespectacled freshman had decided to let it slip by, taking the opportunity to, as he so shamelessly put it the following day, 'educate the ignorant.' 

 

"It's a theory I'm working on that I like to call ' _Of course, but maybe,'_ Haruka recollected his friend saying, getting the attention of everyone sitting around the table. 

 

"Imagine two little figures hovering over your left and right shoulder, an angel and devil versions of yourselves if you will. Only, the little angel doesn't represent the good and the little devil doesn't represent the bad. Instead, the angel represents your actual thoughts, the thoughts you would proudly sign your name on. The devil, of course, represents the thoughts that you do not, _by all means_ , endorse, but they're still there, those awful thoughts that make you go: 'Thank God I don't think like that,' and yet, they're still there, and you are still thinking them. The little angel will _of course_ speak on behalf of your common sense, morality and better judgement. _Of course_ drinking alcohol is wrong. _Of course_ doing drugs is wrong. _But maybe,_ the little devil intervenes, one shouldn't be too quick to judge. Bottoms up!" And they all drank between cheers and chuckles.

 

" _Of course_ skipping classes will have an effect on your performance at school. _Of course_ staying up late every night partying with your friends will lead you to attaching less importance to your education. _But maybe,_ higher education is just for uptight pussies, am I right fellas?" and Haru vaguely remembers more cheering and the clinking sound of glasses.

 

 _"Of course_ rape is bad," Rei continued and silence suddenly reigned all around them. " _Of course_ rape, no matter where, no matter when, is the most devastating thing in the world. _But maybe_ ," Haruka remembered staring at his friend as if he had met him for the first time, "There wouldn't be so many regulations protecting victims and laws punishing the criminals if there hadn't been so many cases of rape all throughout history." 

 

" _Of course_ one should be tolerant towards other people's beliefs no matter what. _Of course_ , one should tolerate other people's political, religious or social views, _of course_. _Of course_ one should tolerate other people's sexual orientation, _of course. But maybe_ , maybe there are some racist, condescending, homophobic assholes out there who should really be put in their place from time to time. _Of course_ there will always be a hot girl or a hot jock who think of themselves as the best of the best and how _dare_ anyone refuse their advances and _of course_ we have to be patient with them. _But maybe,"_ and this is when Rei took off his glasses and stared at the horrified looking girl sitting next to him, " _maybe_ sometimes they really need to be told to _fuck off."_

 

It might have been the alcohol or it might have been Nagisa's raucous laughter that followed but something definitely triggered something in Haruka's brain, saving this particular memory alongside Haruka's most precious ones. After several hours of not being able to stop thinking about it, he finally made sense of why. 

 

His brain had been sticking to the of course. Of course he'd be bothered by a new guy messing with his routine. Of course he'd find someone who was loud and obnoxious as a blatant threat to his peaceful existence. Of course he didn't want things to change considering how comfortable he had become in this new little town, with his new little job. Of course. 

 

But maybe, he was just a sucker for good looks. 

 

That was as far as he let his little devil elaborate. 

 

It was noon when the vegan cafe delivered their freshly baked batch of whole wheat and macadamia nut cookies, only this time Haru didn't take the opportunity to slip by the front desk and head towards the convenience store across the street. Instead, he joined the rest of the trainers in the office and snatched a cookie right off Rin's hand, earning puzzled glances from everyone except Makoto, who began choking on his own cookie. 

 

"Ha-" Rin was taken completely aback as he had been just about to bite down on his own treat. 

 

Haruka turned his gaze upon him defiantly. 

 

"Hungry," he deadpanned, turning around and walking right out of the office, heading downstairs. 

 

It was Nagisa's laughter that pulled Rin out of his trance, turning towards the blonde and finding an accusatory finger pointed directly at him. 

 

"Haru-chan likes you!" he squealed, bending over with laughter and repeatedly smacking the nearest surface, forgetting all about the cookie he had been about to wolf down. 

 

"Hah?!" was all Rin could muster in response, face lit up like a neon marquee with half the letters missing. 

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Despite the fact that Haruka had been all in for digging a little bit deeper into his so-called attraction to his new co-worker, things weren't looking good for the recently returned redhead. 

 

After lunch, Nitori had returned for another training session with Rin. Needless to say, that had left Haruka with a very, very bad taste in his mouth. 

 

"Are you telling me you didn't follow your diet because it was your _mother's birthday?!_ What kind of pathetic, lame, ridiculous excuse is that?!" 

 

"If you can find the time to download a bunch of songs into your iPod, you sure can find the time to do some push-ups and it does _not_ look like you've lifted your scrawny ass off the couch all week long!" 

 

"Just do me a favour and tell me your secret ambition is to become a ballet dancer, how is _that_ a right hook, enlighten me!" 

 

 _If I'm attracted to someone like_ that, _I better take up on Kojima-san's offer to meet her niece,_ were Haruka's thoughts as he overfilled his water bottle at the drinking fountain. _Definitely not attractive enough._

 

At about 7 pm the entire floor was deserted. Makoto had taken his extra free hour as an opportunity to head out and grab everyone some decent bento from a small family restaurant down the road. Nagisa was just about to finish his zumba class and Rei was getting some paperwork done in the office. Haruka decided it was time to finally face the fact that he might actually be attracted to his new co-worker by starting up a conversation with him on his own account. 

 

He had just finished folding the yoga mats and was now standing right in the middle of the stretching area looking for a certain redhead when Miyasaka from the front desk suddenly patted him on the shoulder. 

 

"Nanase-san," the younger staff member began, getting Haruka's attention. "We're ready for you." 

 

"Ready for what?" Haru asked as he lifted an eyebrow. 

 

"Well, according to Matsuoka-san's new schedule, you're supposed to take care of this month's inventory today. We already left the forms ready at the reception area so, whenever you're ready," Miyasaka grinned, unable to hide his relief-bordering-on-mischief from his face. 

 

Right. Haruka had completely forgotten. 

 

 _Definitely not attractive enough._ He thought as he turned on his heels and unconsciously began counting the yoga mats he had just finished folding. 

 

One hour later Haruka found himself hunched over a small table in the reception area, calculator in hand, filling up the inventory forms while thinking of the wonderful mackerel bento Makoto had gotten for him waiting for him in the office, when the sound of a familiar voice made him scribble down the wrong number. 

 

Rin had just walked into the reception area followed by a slightly overweight woman in her late thirties. He spared Haruka a second's glance before pulling back a chair for her to sit down, two tables down from where he presently sat. 

 

"Please," he gestured towards the chair, taking the seat right next to her. 

 

Haru pointedly looked back towards the paperwork before him while he ignored his racing heartbeat. 

 

"As you can see, the club is fully equipped with all sorts of cardiovascular and strength machines that will not only help you meet your daily calorie burn, but will also strengthen and tone your muscles as you continue with your weight loss journey."

 

 _Way too assumptions,_ thought Haruka as he doodled across the borders of the page. 

 

"I'm just… not sure," the young woman interjected, Haruka ventured a look and found her tugging at the ends of her cardigan. 

 

"Listen," Rin interrupted, taking her hand on his own and making Haruka's eyes widen ever so slightly. "You need to realise something here, and you're more than welcome to slap me if you find me the slightest bit out of hand." 

 

She giggled, effectively masking the sob that would have manifested had she not been granted the opportunity to disguise it. 

 

"You have a pair of perfectly working legs and a pair of perfectly strong arms to match. You're a smart, self-sufficient woman and there is absolutely nothing wrong with you physically. The problem I see here is that you are not content with what you see, and that is fine. But you have to realise that you are perfect just the way you are. You are not physically impaired and that is something to be thankful for. You are perfectly capable of going on with your life without ever having the need to exercise regularly as a matter of life and death. That is something to be thankful for. And yet the smile in your face doesn't reach your eyes. This is the one thing that exercise can do for you. You already took the hardest step and admitted not only to yourself, but to me as well, that you want to change. Leave your bad habits behind and start a new life with a stronger focus on your body. That takes a lot more courage than you give yourself credit for." 

 

Haruka felt his grasp tightening around his pencil as he eavesdropped in their conversation. 

 

_He's just a good salesman, nothing more. This means nothing._

 

The young woman sniffled and rubbed a hand over her eyes, chuckling as she slapped the redhead's shoulder. 

 

"What are you doing to me, young man?" she asked, making Rin jolt back looking dramatically offended. 

 

"I'm just saying!" he jumped in his own defence. 

 

"Just get me that boy in the suit so I can buy the damn membership already," she giggled, digging in her purse for her reading glasses. 

 

"If only everyone was as compliant as you," teased Rin as he stood up, barely ducking in time to avoid the pencil aimed directly at his head. He spared Haruka a second's glance before disappearing around the corner. 

 

 _Okay, so_ maybe… 

 

Haru would have slammed his face against the table had there not been people around. 

 

Another twenty minutes went by before Amakata Miho, the newest club member, had finished all her paperwork, stood up and left, leaving only two people in the reception area. Ignoring the beating of his heart, Haruka pointedly refused to look up from his last form even though he could sense someone distinctly watching him two tables down. 

 

"Yo," Rin spoke as he took a seat next to Haruka. 

 

The raven haired trainer took his time to finish scribbling down the last few numbers before looking up and meeting his co-workers eyes. He was met by a version of Rin that he had never really seen before. Looking utterly exhausted and leaning back on the chair, the redhead seemed a few years older than Haru remembered. 

 

"Hey," he replied. 

 

"So I'm not invisible after all," Rin joked, chuckling humourlessly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Good to know." 

 

Haru chewed on the inside of his cheek, leaning back on his chair and folding his arms over his chest. 

 

"Sorry," he sighed, "for ignoring you, I guess." 

 

Rin's eyes were closed but the toothy grin he gave Haruka made the raven haired trainer sit up straighter. 

 

_But maybe…_

 

"S'okay. I guess I haven't been exactly easy on you either, sorry about that, Nanase." 

 

"You can call me Haru," _Where did that come from?_ Haruka mentally kicked himself. _Definitely not a crush._

 

Rin's eyes sprang open but Haru managed to look away just in time. 

 

"Well look at that," Rin spoke almost to himself, sounding a bit too cocky for Haru's liking. "That cookie must have been _good,"_ he joked.

 

_Of course I shouldn't be reaching to conclusions too soon, of course I should still be careful not to fall into the same old patterns. Of course I have to remember how easy it is to have one's heart and illusions broken by a childish infatuation. Of course I should behave like a professional, and maintain a professional relationship with my co-workers. Of course._

 

_But maybe._

 

_Maybe I need a dip in the pool to cool off._

 

"Wanna go swim after we close down?" Haruka found himself asking in spite of himself. 

 

Rin's eyes sparkled with unbridled glee if only for the second their eyes met. 

 

"Of course," he replied. 

 

 


	3. This is Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens in the pool, stays in the pool. Or does it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really really short chapter, I'm sorry for the long wait but I worked on some artwork to make up for the lost time!  
> Tried to make it look manga-ish so I'm sorry if it looks horrible u_u'  
> Anyway, this is the only chapter that is going to be under 4000 words, so stay tuned for chapter 4! (Soon! Soon!)
> 
> If for some reason you can't see the artwork, here's a direct link 
> 
> http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a250/funeralbitch/iwatobifitnessch3art.jpg

**CHAPTER 3**

 

"Someone's in a good mood," Makoto snickered from the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and leaning against the right side of the doorframe. "What time did you get back last night?" 

 

Haruka was in the process of flipping a slab of fish onto a pink and black bento box resting on the counter, the sudden contracting of his back muscles silently letting Makoto know he rather not answer that question. 

 

The taller boy let out an airy chuckle before walking towards his best friend, pouring himself a cup of coffee and eyeing Haru's side of the counter curiously, where two bento boxes were neatly placed next to each other. Makoto's smile grew so large that he was sure Haru could feel it. The green-eyed trainer turned around and leaned back against the counter, cup of coffee in hand, as he hummed a random tune under his breath. 

 

Haru's grip around the spatula grew tighter as their silent conversation took place. 

 

_'I guess this means you_ do _like him?'_

 

_'Shut up.'_

 

A few minutes of silence were shared by the two best friends, only broken by the sound of fish skin cackling against the skillet. 

 

"Alright, I'm feeding the cats, since I'm up early," Makoto spoke and headed towards the back door. Haru nodded imperceptibly, glad the interrogatory was over so he could go back to focusing on the bento. He strained his ears until he could distinctly make out the sounds of cats being fed before relaxing his posture, his lips curling onto a reluctant smile as he recalled the events from the night before. 

 

_"Free, was it?" Matsuoka was positively smirking as he snapped the elastic band behind his head and Haru could feel his co-worker's excitement charge him with electricity the same way he could feel the ripples of the water right below him. He didn't even acknowledge hearing the question with anything more than the slight curling of his fingers and toes over the edge of the pool. Matsuoka snickered and instantly positioned himself into a diving stance. "One hundred meters, that's about four laps isn't it?" The redhead didn't even wait for a response as he took a few deep breaths that sounded all too loud on Haruka's ears._ 'Is he even slightly nervous?' _Haruka indulged in the thought momentarily before focusing his attention back on the deep blue before him. They both tensed as they readied themselves for the dive, waiting for the signal that they both knew Matsuoka was more than ready to give._

 

_"Go!" echoed all over the walls of the tiny natatorium as the two trainers dove in at the exact same time. The second Haruka's entire body was submerged under the waiting waters his heart began beating madly, the unexpected shortness of breath brought about by sharing his sacred space with a virtual stranger reverberating all over his arms and legs. He felt his body instinctively try to curl onto itself as he outstretched his arms before him, an extraordinary reaction to this particular type of exercise that he was so used to practice on his own, completely_ solo _. His stomach almost churned as they turned, feeling the ripples of the water by his side that signalled his rival had turned at the exact same time, fully aware of the fact that he was getting as much momentum as he was. And that had never happened before._

 

_And he never thought he would care._

 

_Matsuoka's kick was stronger and it gave him some gain over Haru as they swam past the second lap's ten meter sign but Haru was quick to catch up. The dark haired trainer gasped for air with a mixture of exhilaration and surprise as he managed to meet his rival right before the second turn. That's when he felt it._

 

"Haru?" Makoto's sudden intervention almost made Haruka drop the skillet he had been about to wash. He quickly caught it with both hands barely avoiding touching the white-hot surface, dropping the rag he had been holding and turning his gaze upon his friend with a look that spoke millions.

 

"C-Cough or something," he interjected pathetically, painfully aware of how throaty his voice sounded and regretting it instantly. 

 

Makoto laughed airily as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry," he replied, "I just figured we should get going before Nagisa's up, you know how he gets when Rei competes." 

 

It took a couple of seconds for Haruka to register what his best friend was referring to. Then it clicked. Today was a half day off. The entire staff was getting a half day off because of a body-building convention that was taking place on the neighbouring town, a slightly larger version of their own Iwatobi. And it was a bit of a big deal, according to their manager. They were urged by Sasabe himself to partake in the contest as their floor supervising hours would be cleared if they managed to place at least a third on the competition, although there were no repercussions if they refused to join in at all. But then nobody amongst the trainers had taken up on the offer, being themselves too busy to train properly. Nobody except Rei, who saw it as a personal challenge in his everlasting quest for absolute beauty. It was his fourth competition to date and he was still chasing after the first place, earning himself a second and two thirds back in university. 

 

"Rei," Haruka was suddenly brought back to reality as his brain flashed him with images of Rei training extra hours with a perturbingly focused Nagisa spotting his every move for the past few weeks. 

 

Makoto smiled as he threw a duffel back at his best friend who caught it instinctively. 

 

"I packed a pair of jeans and a shirt in case you wanted to change out of the uniform, it's fine if you don't but if we don't leave in," he glanced as his watch as Haruka put the duffel bag down and untied his apron, "about four minutes, then Nagisa's gonna be down here trying to mix raw eggs and complex carbohydrates into a shake that we both know will taste awful." Haruka glanced up and bit his lower lip, unconsciously conjuring up the image of Rei emptying his stomach all over Nagisa's very own 'eggs, congee and avocado' shake. 

 

"It needed macke-"

 

Haruka didn't finish his sentence as he was cut off by a perturbingly high-pitched _'Haru!'_

 

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

No words were spoken during the entire time it took Haru and Makoto to reach the fitness club. Instead, Makoto took to whistling a random tune while occasionally casting furtive glances at the bento boxes that his best friend was dangling by his side. Haruka on the other side, kept his eyes glued to the sea. It wasn't warm enough to swim yet, perhaps it would still take a couple of weeks for the water to warm up sufficiently, but Haru couldn't care less, enthralled by the way the sunlight reflected on the ocean's surface like diamonds. 

 

"Oh?" Makoto stopped on his tracks as they reached the entrance, where an impossibly smug-looking Rin seemed to be waiting for them, hands on his hips and hair tied back in a ponytail. The tracksuit he was wearing pointed to the fact that he had probably jogged to the club, although he wasn't the slightest bit out of breath. 

 

"Yo, Haru! Makoto!" He hollered as he jogged towards them, meeting them halfway. His eyes were searching Haruka's face who looked completely unruffled. Makoto glanced from one to the other trying to make out what on earth was going on when suddenly Haru outstretched his arm towards the redhead, face completely void of emotion, the wrapped bento boxes dangling pathetically between them. 

 

Rin stood motionless, mouth hanging slightly open for a few seconds before a furious blush began spreading all over his face. 

 

"H- _Haru_!" he almost jumped back, holding a hand before him as if to shield his eyes from the offending object. "Did you make this? T-That's not what I meant!" 

 

Haruka blinked once, twice before taking a step back and untying the knot that held both bento boxes together. 

 

"You said I owed you lunch," he deadpanned as he all but shoved a bento box up Rin's nose who barely managed to catch it. He then pointed a finger at it without breaking eye contact. "That is lunch." With that said, he side glanced at Makoto before walking into the club. 

 

Makoto stood to the side, one arm wrapped around his waist, one hand covering his mouth as he tried to suppress the laughter that was bubbling too close to the surface. Rin's eyes followed Haru as he walked past him towards the entrance and disappeared into the club. 

 

When he turned to face Makoto, he looked as if he had just been slapped, hard. 

 

"W-What the hell was that?" Rin asked incredulously, looking from Makoto to the bento box and back. 

 

"I was just about to ask you the exact same thing," the taller trainer managed to reply before effectively throwing back his head and laughing. 

 

 

_Rin won, but just barely. It took Haruka a fraction of a second longer to slap the wall on the adjacent lane and break the surface gasping for air. Rin threw both arms above his head and positively whooped, jumping up and down and splashing water everywhere._

 

_"I knew it! I'm faster!" he all but screamed a few times before actually turning towards his co-worker, and he immediately knew something was wrong. Haruka was holding onto the edge of the pool with one hand, his face scrunched up in pain as his other hand rubbed circles around his calf underwater._

 

_Rin half-swam, half-jumped onto the next lane, urging the dark haired trainer out of the water._

 

_"Let me see," he commanded as Haru managed to sit on the edge of the pool, feet still dangling in the water._

 

_"It's just a cramp," Haruka stubbornly replied, refusing to let go of his leg, the tension on his voice betraying just in how much pain he actually was._

 

_"If it's just a cramp then stop that cause you're only making it worse," Rin started to lecture him while he fought with Haru's hands around the tightened muscle._

 

_"Don't think you can teach me anything I don't know about- ahhh," Haruka gasped as Rin finally managed to pry his hands away and pressed is thumb directly over the tensed muscle._

 

_"Stop squirming," the redhead almost whispered as he kneaded the skin._

 

_"I'm_ not _squirming," Haruka challenged back but had to lift a hand to his mouth in order to stifle a grunt. After a few seconds that felt more like minutes, the pain started receding and Haru's toes began uncoiling. As the pain disappeared, Haru opened his eyes and glanced down at the redhead. His eyes moved from his own leg towards Rin's hands and forearms, he noticed the water dripping from his hair down his shoulders and the length of his eyelashes. His eyebrows knit together in concentration and the tip of his tongue that peeked out of the side of his mouth. He looked away instantly the second he caught himself staring._

 

_Once completely sure his co-worker was no longer in pain, Rin took a step back and nodded appreciatively. Haruka raised an eyebrow but refused to acknowledge him, dipping his feet back into the water._

 

_As Rin pushed himself out of the water and took a seat next to the brunette, he began chuckling quietly, getting his co-worker's attention._

 

_"You almost won," he spoke so softly it seemed like he was talking to himself. "You had a cramp and you almost won."_

 

_Haruka turned to look at him but Rin had eyes for the water alone, for a second there he feared he had done something terribly wrong._

 

_"Does it matter?" the brunette asked tentatively, hating the sound of his own voice._

 

_A few seconds later, Rin's scowl softened and turned to return Haru's gaze._

 

_"Nah," he smiled. "I'm just impressed, that's all."_

 

_Haru stared at him for a few seconds before quickly turning away._

 

_For the next few minutes they sat in silence, feet dangling in the water, until a loud splash echoed throughout the natatorium and Rin almost jumped out of his skin._

 

_"Hey!" he yelled, but the brunette was already halfway across the swimming pool. "You dick, you're not supposed to get back in there!" he tried to sound threatening but he couldn't suppress the laughter in his voice. He watched Haruka swim a few laps until he turned over and began floating aimlessly right about the middle of the pool._

 

_"Fine, you're closing tonight then!" Rin yelled as he draped a small towel around his neck. "And you owe me lunch!" he said as he walked out of the natatorium without glancing back. "Damn stubborn, that's what he is…" he mumbled as he left._

 

 

"So that's what happened," said Makoto as he helped Rin prep the spinning room for the morning class. 

 

"Yeah, but I mean, I didn't _mean_ for him to make it himself! That's like," he waved his arms about as if trying to illustrate how a wheel works, "like _manga stuff!"_

 

Makoto chuckled and clapped a heavy hand over Rin's back. "That's just Haru."

 

"Yeah, you've said that," replied Rin with a sigh. "It's just, one second he hates me and the next he, he makes me a bento box, a _bento box_ of all things!"

 

The green-eyed trainer chuckled lightheartedly as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head. 

 

"Haru-chan's not good with words, that's just his way of thanking you, I really don't see why you're so upset," he insisted. "You'll get it as soon as you get to know him a little better." 

 

"Whatever," mumbled the redhead avoiding Makoto's eyes. "Someone might misunderstand, that's all…" he whispered and Makoto had to strain his ears in order to catch that. He grinned widely and headed for the door. 

 

"What's there to misunderstand? Anyway, I've a client now, see you at 3!" said Makoto, waving enthusiastically before rushing out, leaving Rin a blushing mess. 

 

[](http://s12.photobucket.com/user/funeralbitch/media/iwatobifitnessch3art.jpg.html)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, whoah, it's been a while. This fic is still alive, just took a while to get it back on its feet!   
> And, we're getting somewhere now. Oh these flirts, what am I going to do with them?

Powerman Junior Bodybuilding Convention, Japan, wasn't by all means the most high-profile gathering of athletes in the country, but it was certainly one of the largest events Anagamo, a town barely an hour away from Iwatobi, hosted every year. The success of the previous years became evident on the growing numbers of attendants and competitors, and this year they could no longer hope to accommodate that many people in the town's Best Western convention center, switching the venue to a rather popular ballroom generally used to host wedding ceremonies. 

 

As Sasabe's mini van pulled over by the entrance, Haru couldn't help but almost stick his head out the window as he took in the massive welcome billboard displaying an extremely tan japanese bodybuilder grinning broadly. 

 

"You guys go right ahead while I go find a place to park," Sasabe said as he stopped the van. "Ryugazaki, you go straight to the registration area and make sure they put you on the list of _male_ competitors this time!" 

 

Rei turned bright red and coughed as he stepped out of the van. 

 

"I'm sure there will be n-" he began to reply but was instantly interrupted by Nagisa who was trying to push his way out of the van while pulling out two large duffel bags, each the size of a bean bag. 

 

"I'll see to it, coach!" the blonde hollered as he ran towards the entrance, pulling a tumbling Rei on his wake. 

 

"Thanks for the ride, coach," spoke Makoto from the front seat as he opened the door and stepped out of the van. "I mean, even though you sort of forced us to come, it was still nice of you to drive us," he added mischievously. 

 

Sasabe let out a bark of a laugh and flipped him off before speeding away the second they had all stepped out of the van. 

 

"Did he seriously just do that?" asked Rin incredulously as he zipped up his jacket. 

 

Makoto turned to him questioningly. 

 

"Hm? Oh, that. Yeah, he does that," he replied, hands in his pockets and taking in the sights around him as they walked towards the entrance. "Wow, they've really gone all the way this year huh? I wonder who's co-sponsoring this year. Must be someone real big if they're able to afford all this," he added as they each made their way through a metal detector where an ancient security officer was snoozing on his chair. 

 

Haru's mouth twitched momentarily as the officer let out a particularly loud snore while he was walking past him. 

 

As they entered the reception area, the three trainers stopped on their tracks looking dumbfounded. Before them was a room as large as a hockey rink where several tables and booths with colourful banners hanging all over were scattered left and right. At least a hundred people were standing by the booths, some giving out flyers and some reading through them. There was a large stage at the other side of the room with a few dozen chairs and a long table that could seat at least 20 people. 

 

A group of kids were running back and forth crying out names of famous body builders and suddenly stopping to strike a few poses here and there, their mothers completely distracted by a group of handsome salesmen who were evidently trying to get them to buy a membership to Anagamo's Krav Maga Training Center, judging by the banner. One of the largest booths with bright yellow banners that read Kiroichi Sports Drink was playing really loud music while a few bikini clad girls were giving away tiny paper cups with which was presumably, Kiroichi Sports Drink. On the opposite side of the hall, a group of Chinese salesmen with very bad Japanese were trying to call the attention of the people directly in front of them yelling things like " _Friend, come here, ok? Mr. Wang's Special Magical Protein Shake, ok?"_

 

"Hey," Haru felt a hand on his shoulder and tensed, sensing who it belonged to. "Don't space out, you'll get lost here," Rin warned as he stop beside him, pointedly looking at anything but Haru. 

 

The dark haired trainer shook Rin's hand off as he mumbled something that sounded like "M'not spacing out." 

 

The ride to Anagamo had been awkward to say the least. Rin was still blushing uncontrollably every time Haru was within talking distance, the bento had been delicious. Haru, looking as unruffled as ever, appeared to have made the decision to never ever make eye contact with Rin, ever again. Makoto and Rei had exchanged knowing looks a couple of times, both silently agreeing that if Nagisa hadn't noticed anything strange, it was best not to enlighten him for the time being. 

 

"Mako-chan, Haru-chan!" Nagisa's voice reached their ears and they all turned to see him running towards them, a flustered looking Rei a few steps behind. 

 

"Everything alright, Nagisa? Rei?" Makoto asked politely, noticing Rei looking nervous and Nagisa grinning excitedly. 

 

"We're about to go ahead to the dressing rooms," intervened Rei, pushing up his glasses and bowing curtly before his friends. "Thank you in advance for coming to the convention, it means a lot to me to have you here, supporting me," he spoke, blushing to the tip of his nose. "Even though coach practically forced you." 

 

Makoto smiled brightly and patted Rei gently on the back. 

 

"You'll do great!" he spoke, looking around to catch everyone's eyes. "Right, guys?" 

 

Rin instantly stepped forwards, bumping his fist on Rei's shoulder. 

 

"Of course you will! Man, have you ever seen biceps like these?" said the redhead, grabbing on to Rei's arm and pulling it up to tense the aforementioned muscle. "I mean look at this! You look like you've been on the grill for just about the right amount of time, what is this? Mr. Wang's Magical Spray-on Tan?" he chuckled as he pulled up Rei's t-shirt, displaying a fair amount of skin. 

 

The bespectacled trainer smiled from ear to ear, blushing even more furiously than before. 

 

"Thank you, Rin-san. I know this is your first time joining us for an activity outside of work, and I'm honoured to have you here as well," he replied. 

 

"Are you kidding me?" the redhead spoke up, letting go of his arm and looking around appreciatively. "Training equipment on sale, athletes everywhere, protein shakes and bars sold here and there, this is an amusement park to me!" 

 

They shared a few laughs more before Rei politely took his leave with Nagisa on tow and they disappeared behind the doors labeled 'Competitors and Trainers Only'. 

 

"Well," Makoto suddenly spoke up as he stretched his arms over his head, "I don't know about you but I'm rather hungry, what do you say we hit the snack booths?" 

 

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a booming laughter echoed behind them. 

 

"I can't believe it!" the voice yelled and all three of the trainers turned to find a tall redhead walking straight towards them. "Matsuoka! Is that really you?" he bellowed again as he made his way through the crowd. 

 

Haru and Makoto turned to see Rin's face turn from surprise to evident recognition. 

 

"Captain!" he replied, standinga little straighter than before. 

 

"Holy crap, it is you! Momo, hey Momo, look who's here!" he yelled once more, louder this time, as he called for someone over the crowd of people. "If it isn't Rin Matsuoka, in the flesh!" he finally turned his voice down as he stood up directly in front of Rin and clapped a heavy hand over his shoulder, almost making him stumble forwards. 

 

"You- ah, you people need to stop doing that," Rin complained while massaging his shoulder. 

 

"Ah, you've always been a bit too frail for your own good," the redhead laughed, clutching onto Rin's shoulder and giving him a few hard shakes as he spoke. "I heard from Ai you were back, said you're now working at some fitness club, but I said to him, I said, seeing is believing. And now here you are! Big change huh? From Sydney back to Iwatobi, what the hell made you decide- oh, are these your friends?" he suddenly interrupted himself as he turned to Haru and Makoto who were trying really hard not to stare at the impressive looking figure before them. 

 

"Y-yeah," replied Rin, turning to his co-workers. "Haruka Nanase and Makoto Tachibana, they're also trainers at Iwatobi Fitness, we're here to cheer for one of the other trainers who's joined the competition," he explained. "Guys, this is Seijurou Mikoshiba, he used to be the captain of the swim team back in high school." 

 

"And the best one yet!" Mikoshiba interrupted as he shook each of their hands in turn. "No offence to Matsuoka here, you didn't do so bad when your time came, but I keep hearing all these stories from Momo and Ai about pool parties and how you-" 

 

"That's, that's something for another time, perhaps?" Rin nervously interrupted, waving his arms about ridiculously, trying to get his captain's attention back to himself. 

 

"You were the captain of the swim team?" Haru suddenly asked, getting everyone's eyes focused on him. 

 

Rin's right hand flew to his hair and began running his fingers through a few knots here and there awkwardly. 

 

"Y-yeah, I was," he replied almost quietly. "For only one semester though, before I transferred." 

 

"Yeah, little Rin here felt like he was too good for Samezuka, didn't you old chap?" Mikoshiba joked pleasantly, the grin never leaving his face. "Left us as soon as he got that scholarship to Australia, didn't you Rin? Broke Gou's heart while at it, how is she by the way?" 

 

At this, Rin suddenly turned on his heels and coughed nervously. "I think I saw Momo just now, gonna go say hello," he said as he walked away, leaving Haru, Makoto and Mikoshiba looking puzzled. 

 

"Hm, I guess some things don't change, still touchy about it," Mikoshiba spoke, almost to himself. Haru and Makoto exchanged looks before deciding it was best to let Rin go on his own for a while. 

 

"Are you also competing, Mikoshiba-san?" Makoto asked politely. 

 

"What? Oh, hell no! I don't have the patience for this, no. I'm here strictly on business. Our family's company is one of the sponsors of the event and I've been trying to get my younger brother Momo more involved in the business. He doesn't really get it, you see?" Mikoshiba gesticulated, pointing a finger to his temple. "He's a bit of a lose cannon, too much energy bottled up in that tiny body of his. It's like trying to grab an eel with one hand," Mikoshiba chuckled while wiggling about, he stopped on his tracks as he spotted Haru and Makoto's puzzled looks. "Nevermind," he smiled, running a hand through his hair, "you'd understand if you'd met him. Anyways, don't let me keep you. I also have to go back to the booth." 

 

"Oh, okay. It was nice meeting you," Makoto extended a hand pleasantly, which Mikoshiba shook, he and Haru exchanged curt bows before he turned on his heels and disappeared between the crowd. 

 

"Nice guy," Makoto said conversationally as he looked around a bit more, but Haru wasn't listening. Because all he could think of was the fact that Rin had broken someone's heart by transferring to another country. Someone named Gou. He hadn't realised he'd been frowning until he felt a finger trying to flatten the skin between his eyebrows. 

 

"You'll wrinkle early if you keep that up," Makoto warned playfully, earning himself a punch on the shoulder. 

 

"Let's go, we need to save a few seats," Haru deadpanned, walking away towards the stage. 

 

Rin didn't reappear until the end of the competition, when they were getting ready to leave. 

 

\--------------------

 

"That guy was _obviously_ on steroids!" Nagisa complained loudly as they made their way back to the van. "You could tell from a mile away, his eyes were all bloodshot and puffy _and_ he kept snorting and rubbing his nose!" he claimed as if that settled the matter. 

 

"Nagisa-kun, what you are describing is a cocaine addict, not symptoms of steroid abuse," Rei explained calmly. He wasn't looking nervous anymore, quite on the contrary he seemed quite satisfied. "Second place's not so bad after all," he added. 

 

His words only worked to make Nagisa look even gloomier than he had been ever since Rei had been awarded second place in his category. 

 

"Rei's right," Rin spoke up as he began helping Makoto load the trunk with bags and bags of newly bought equipment and supplements. "Second place is something to be proud of! And now he's got himself a rival, next time you're gonna destroy that steroid junkie, am I right?" 

 

They spent the next few minutes abusing the winner of the category before coach Sasabe decided it was time to hit the road back to town. 

 

The ride back went as quiet as before, only Haru had seemed to have gone permanently mute. If anyone else noticed, nobody mentioned the change. Half an hour into the ride, as Nagisa's gentle snores and Sasabe humming to a song playing on the radio lulled everyone else to sleep, Haru felt Rin squirm beside him, obviously trying to find a more comfortable position, and snuggling closer to him. 

 

"S-sorry," Rin's voice came quiet as a whisper when he caught himself at it. He looked up and his eyes met Haru's for the first time since early that morning. Their eyes locked for a second before the van rode over a nasty bump that almost made Rin jolt out of his own body. Haru looked away instantly but his body didn't move an inch. 

 

"It's fine," he whispered back, looking out the window. 

 

After a few minutes of silence, Rin spoke again, leaning into Haru and whispering as if not to wake the others. 

 

"Hm, Mikoshiba's an old family friend," he began, as if trying to excuse himself for something. "I hadn't seen him since I came back even though I've been meaning to call him." 

 

Haru hummed in response, unsure of why Rin was telling him this. 

 

"He's a little overwhelming," Rin continued, making Haru blow some air out his nose. 

 

"You're one to talk," the dark haired trainer replied. 

 

Rin smiled and Haru was sure he could _hear_ it. 

 

"Listen, about that bento-"

 

"It's fine," Haru interrupted, secretly hoping that they would never ever talk about it again. He had misread the signals and he had been feeling completely miserable about it all day, especially after Rin's distant behaviour throughout the convention. 

 

"No, listen," the redhead continued, "I know I was all weird about it at first, but well, nobody's ever done that for me before. I mean sure, my mom did it when I was a kid and Gou usually helped by sneaking in a few sweets in there but-" 

 

"Gou?" Haru interrupted, mentally kicking himself for his abruptness. 

 

Rin seemed a little taken aback, as if finding the fact that somebody didn't know who Gou was, unbelievable. 

 

"Gou, my sister," he replied. 

 

"Oh," Haru suddenly exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath. 

 

_Oh, sister._

 

"Yeah," Rin continued normally, "so you see? It felt, strange. Nice. I'd been meaning to talk to you about it all day, but then Momo actually found me and cornered me into telling him everything I'd been doing for the past few months. Then when I found you again, with Rei getting second place, well, I didn't really have the time to bring it up. And it was delicious, so really, thank you," he mumbled the last words so quietly that he was sure it was hot air that came out of his mouth instead. "I'd like to return the favour, one of these days." 

 

"Just kiss him already," mumbled Nagisa, half of his face squashed against Rei's arm. 

 

Rin jumped so high his pants ripped. 

 

"You're awake?!" he almost screeched. 

 

Rei turned his face towards the redhead and pressed a finger to his own lips mouthing the words 'sleep talk', before giving him a wink very uncharacteristic of him. 

 

Rin opened and closed his mouth a few times without actually managing a response before deciding to tend to his clothes. He didn't notice Haru's lip curling upwards for a second before getting it under control. 

 

\---------------------------------

 

It was nighttime by the time they had reached Iwatobi, coach Sasabe drove straight to the club even though he had offered to give the guys a ride home instead. 

 

"It's fine, you can't drive up the hill anyway," Makoto spoke as they unloaded the van. "Plus, someone needs to get all this stuff into the club." 

 

"Have it your way then, see you all tomorrow. Hazuki, you're opening at 7, don't be late!" he yelled before driving away. 

 

Nagisa looked like a kid that had been running around an amusement park all day and was in serious need of some sleep, he barely acknowledged having heard Sasabe with a save of his hand before leaning back on Rei's arm. 

 

Rei sighed as he pulled his glasses up his nose. 

 

"Makoto-senpai, do you mind if we go ahead? I'm afraid he'll fall asleep standing up," he said, motioning at the blond with his head. 

 

"You guys all go," interrupted Rin. "I'll take care of the bags, I need to go in there anyway, I'm sure I have a spare pair of pants in my locker room. Just hand me the keys, I'll be here at 7 to give them back, maybe even help this little fucker prep the swimming pool," he added, gesturing at Nagisa with a wave of his hand. 

 

Haru and Makoto exchanged looks while Rei thanked him profusely before walking away, Nagisa perched on his arm. 

 

"We'll help you bring the stuff inside," Makoto hastily added as Rin balanced a few bags while trying to open the back door. "We'll be right in with the rest!" 

 

Rin hummed in acknowledgement and went inside. 

 

"Haru, can I have a word?" 

 

The dark haired trainer turned to his friend with a look of evident suspicion. 

 

"What?" 

 

Makoto seemed to be having quite a difficult time trying to stop a grin from spreading across his face. 

 

"I'm gonna go now," he deadpanned, making Haru narrow his eyes even more. 

 

"Why?" 

 

He only got a shit-eating grin in response. 

 

\--------------------------

 

"Damn, these, ouch! Who the fuck left a dumbbell on the floor?" Rin cursed as he staggered trying to keep his balance in the darkness. "It was that little fucker, I'm sure of that. I'd kill him if I could- ah!" 

 

Someone had just flicked the lights on, effectively scaring the hell out of Rin. 

 

"Haru!" he yelled as he turned around, coming face to face with the aforementioned trainer. "Damn, you're sneaky." 

 

Haru picked up a few bags and walked straight into the storage room. 

 

"Bring those bags over here, let's just unpack the supplements, we'll sort out the equipment tomorrow," he instructed as he set everything neatly on the floor. Rin joined him and none of them spoke for a few seconds. 

 

"Hm... and Makoto?" Rin asked casually as he ripped a box of protein tablets open. 

 

"Went home," Haru replied dryly, balling up a few plastic bags. 

 

"Oh," was all Rin managed to respond. 

 

They worked in silence for what seemed like hours before they decided they had done enough and walked out of the storage room. It was pleasantly quiet without all the chaos, being the only two people in the club. This was as Haru liked it the most. He hadn't noticed he had been spacing out until he heard Rin calling his name from somewhere behind him. 

 

"Here," Rin spoke as he threw an energy drink in his direction. Haru caught it easily and mumbled a thanks in reply. 

 

The redhead smiled and headed towards the cardio machines. Haru found himself following automatically. They took a seat by the treadmills and sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company. 

 

"You've known Makoto for long?" Rin suddenly asked. 

 

Haru seemed to consider the question for a couple of seconds before nodding. 

 

"Since we were kids," he replied. "No, since I can remember." 

 

Rin hummed and nodded back. 

 

"You two seem close. He seems like a good guy." 

 

"He is," Haru instantly replied, not noticing how Rin flinched at his promptness. 

 

"Did you two ever… I mean, are you…" 

 

"What?" Haru immediately asked, sensing what was coming. 

 

"Well, you know. Nagisa and Rei are a thing, I just wondered if you two were-" 

 

"No," Haru interrupted almost as fast as he had before. "No, we're, he's. We're friends." 

 

"Oh," was all Rin could reply. "That's neat." 

 

"Neat," Haru mimicked, unable to hide the amusement in his voice. 

 

Rin chuckled and smacked Haru on the shoulder. 

 

"Shut up, okay? Jeez, now tell me some more about this whole 'I only swim free' bullshit. What made a well-brought up Japanese goodie-goodie like yourself turn into such a water freak?" 

 

Haru couldn't help but smile as he turned to face the redhead, eyes locking momentarily. 

 

"I'll tell you if you tell me about the pool parties." 

 

Rin instantly turned scarlet and put both hands to his face. 

 

"Oh _hell no!"_ Rin's voice came muffled and high-pitched, he looked like a blushing schoolgirl reliving one of her worst memories and the absurdity of it all made Haru's insides bubble with something he didn't get to feel very often, so he laughed. 

 

After they shared a few anecdotes of their past and Haru patiently explained to Rin the difference between sardines, mackerel and tuna ("They all taste the same!" Rin had exclaimed, to Haru's horror,) they realised at least a couple of hours had gone by. 

 

"Wow, it's really that late?" Rin asked while stretching his arms over his head. 

 

"Yeah, we better go." 

 

"Time flies when you're having fun, huh Nanase?" 

 

Haru flinched at the now strange use of his last name but let it slip by as he caught Rin smiling back at him. "I just like the way it sounds, sorry." 

 

The dark haired trainer shrugged nonchalantly. 

 

"I don't mind either way," he replied. 

 

They gathered their stuff (Rin changed into a fresh pair of pants) before locking up. If the night hadn't been awkward ever since they'd been alone in the club, it became immeasurably awkward as they tried to find the right words to take their leave. 

 

"Where do you live?" Haru found himself asking automatically. 

 

"I'm crashing at my mother's for a while, I'm trying to find a roommate for the time being. Can't really afford rent all on my own right now." 

 

"Oh," replied Haru. "Your mom and your sister?" 

 

"Yeah," Rin replied and Haru noticed, for the first time, how Rin seemed to grow gloomy at the thought. 

 

"You two don't get along?" he couldn't stop himself from asking. 

 

Rin looked up and openly stared back at Haru for a few seconds as if trying to figure out if he was worthy of his reply. It started to make Haru feel very uncomfortable but as soon as it started, it ended. Rin's smile returned to his face and he chuckled benignly. 

 

"That," he pointed with a finger, "is a story for another day. What do you say, dinner one of these days? I mean, you know, to return the favour, for the bento and, stuff," Rin cut himself off and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, making Haru smile in spite of himself. 

 

"It sounds like you're asking me out," he deadpanned, voice completely void of expression even though he could feel his heart racing. 

 

Rin grinned broadly. 

 

"Just dinner this time around, I still need to figure out how much of a freak you really are before I decide to ask _you_ out!" he spat the words as he began waving and trotting away, unaware of the effect they would have on Haru, whose jaw went slightly slack. "See you tomorrow, Nanase!" 

 

Haru hated the way his hand automatically waved back. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic will go on!


End file.
